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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30045273">Sleepless In Night City</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow_Warbler/pseuds/Willow_Warbler'>Willow_Warbler</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Cyberpunk 2077 (Video Game)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Literal Sleeping Together, M/M, No Dialogue, Post-The Sun Ending (Cyberpunk 2077)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:41:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,654</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30045273</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow_Warbler/pseuds/Willow_Warbler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>On one hand, V asked to be woken up. On the other, he looks exhausted. Kerry weighs his options. </p><p>(Kerry wakes up early and muses about V and their relationship)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kerry Eurodyne/V</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>55</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sleepless In Night City</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hi! Thanks for giving my story a chance!<br/>Ahhh, it's been a while. January and February always make me feel so lazy and uncreative. Thankfully, as spring approaches, so does my creativity. This is just a little something to get me back on track. It's basically a handful of headcanons held together with some bubblegum, but it's better than nothing. I usually write a lot of dialogue (and I enjoy writing it a lot), so this work has none, just as a challenge :) English is not my first language, so sorry for any clunky/awkward sentence structure or phrases :D</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>„<em>He’s alive</em>.”</p><p>Before Kerry even cracked open his eyes, he registered the sound of wet clicking coming from V’s, who slept beside him, throat, immediately easing the tension he wasn’t even aware of. Waking up to the corpse of your lover beside you would be one hell of a morning, one Kerry thankfully hasn’t experienced, oddly enough, given his lifestyle, and he didn’t want to any time soon. Even when he knew that this day will come, sooner or later, he’d rather not think about it too much.</p><p>Their shared home was quiet, save for the quiet buzz of electricity coming from the freezer downstairs and the ticking of the clock on V’s night table. Even Night City, which never slept, seemed not fully awake yet, with only distant hum of the flying cabs passing by now and then. It seemed like it was still early, too early for Kerry to crawl out of bed and go to the studio, to continue working on his album and keep pissing off his manager. He could let himself sink into the exquisitely soft matress (seriously, out of every unecessary display of wealth V could have, he was very paticular about the quality of his bedding. Though Kerry suspected that if he spend his life sleeping on couches, paper-thin matresses or even on the floor, he’d want to get something comfortable too) and get a bit more shut-eye.</p><p>Something still tempted him to open up his eyes, maybe to make sure that it really was early, and the good people at the studio won’t have to wait for him any more than they have to.</p><p>The metal-coated wall in front of him reflected the pale blues and oranges of the early morning sky. The room was dimly lit by the anemic rays of the sun. It couldn’t have been later than about six AM, allowing Kerry an hour and a half of more sleep before his and V’s lifes will start for the day, according to their schedules. V sighed in his sleep, a soft, yet burdened sound of a mind that wasn’t fully at ease.</p><p>Kerry felt a sudden need to look at V.</p><p>He turned on his left side carefully, not wanting to accidentally wake V. Thankfully (or not), V was used to worse conditions and was a heavy sleeper, so he still lied there, face to Kerry, his eyes closed. V’s eyebrows were slightly furrowed, making Kerry wonder about what was he was dreaming about. Past night hasn’t been paticurarily easy on him, with two coughing fits ripping him out of slumber. Kerry couldn’t see V’s face during the second one, when he was sitting on the edge of the bed, sputtering into his hands, but judging by the sheepish, apolagetic tone when he murmured something about how maybe he should sleep on the couch from now on, this was the first time in a long while where V actually had some color on his cheeks. And Kerry couldn’t see it. Shame. But life is never fair, he supposed. Kerry couldn’t remember what he said, exactly, half-asleep himself. Probably something about V being ridiculous and urging him to go back to bed. Whatever he said seemed to convince him, and that was good enough for him. Always got what he wanted.</p><p>Now though, V seemed at relative ease. The air still rasped in his throat, and his chest rose and fell a bit too slowly for Kerry’s liking, but that was just the painful reality he had to accept. After V bought this apartment and asked Kerry to move in, it was Kerry who tended to get up later. When he was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, V was already on his feet for two hours, pacing through the downstairs living area, talking about the details of the casino heist with Emmerick on the holo, with empty boxes of their catering service on the kitchen counter and a few fresh cigarette butts in the ashtray. On some days, he was lining up jobs for city’s top edgerunners, treating the legacy Rogue left behind seriously, unwilling to leave other mercs without an income and fame they craved. After all, he knew the life like no one else. Kerry worried about him, that he was overworking himself, but ultimately trusted V’s judgement on his own well-being.</p><p>It all changed after the heist. V started to sleep in more and more often, to the point where it happened more often than not. At first, they chalked it up to temporary exhaustion; interstellar travel was taxing on anyone, and that went doubly so on anyone with a condition like V’s, even if Kerry hated to admit that. As V started to lose strenght and his skin paled, they both had to silently admit that V will not get better any time soon, and the sooner they’ll accept this, the more time they will be able to spend together, enjoying eachother’s company, without this fact looming above their heads, spoiling their fun.</p><p>As with everything in his life, V wasn’t going to give up without a fight. Yesterday, he asked Kerry to wake him up before he went to the studio in the morning, not wanting to lose what little time he had left on sleeping. The problem was, however, that Kerry couldn’t find it in himself to actually do it. The illness took a toll on V’s body, leaving him perpetually exhausted and weak. He clearly needed rest, and Kerry didn’t understand why V wanted to deny himself something like that.</p><p>His whole life V had to fight tooth and nail for everything. Food, clothes, a place to sleep, basic dignity, making it to the next day… all he had now was thanks to his drive, skill and ambition. Now, that he finally had everything he could ever want, he couldn’t adjust to it, constantly feeling the need to prove himself, that he still felt great and could live as he lived before. Vulnerability, asking for help and taking things easy came hard to him. Kerry knew first-hand that it’s hard to get rid of old habits, but he couldn’t help but feel sadness for the young merc sleeping beside him. He wished he could convince V that everything’s all right, that nobody will think any less of him due to his condition and needs. It was always easier said than done, sadly. V himself had to accept and understand that, and it didn’t seem likely, at least not any time soon.</p><p>V briefly squeezed his eyelids tighter, another brief reminder that even in his sleep he couldn’t be fully at peace. Whatever was troubling him quickly passed, and his face relaxed again. Kerry smiled fondly, his eyes softening.</p><p>He was beautiful.</p><p>Before the illness started to ravage his body, V was the classic image of youthful masculinity, with a sharp jaw, straight, roman nose and a lean, muscular build. Kerry always wondered why V never took a single modeling gig, if he was honest. Nowdays, as V weakened, he lost most of his weight and strenght, changing Night City’s most dangerous merc into a frail doll. V knew that his body wasn’t the same, he was almost painfully aware of it. Kerry saw how he never turned on the bathroom mirror when he brushed his teeth in the evening, how he avoided standing too long in front of the windows or glass doors, that he always slept in a shirt and a pair of sweatpants, heard how V talked about himself, calling himself a „corpse”, only to half-heartedly laugh, like he was trying to convince himself it was a joke. But Kerry still thought that V was the most beautiful person he’s ever met, as before as now. For a lyricist, he found it oddly difficult to talk about his feelings, and even more difficult to talk about the feelings of others (though, thankfully or not, V wasn’t the talkative sort either). He still wanted to show V how much he means to him, and that could, luckily for him, be done without words: stealing kisses when he passed next to him, leaving notes reminding him to take his pills when he left to go to the studio in the morning, or insisting on sharing the same bed, despite V’s concerns for Kerry’s sleep.</p><p>Kerry rolled his eyes. As if he could sleep better without V next to him, like he wouldn’t go crazy worrying if V’s still alive, or did he pass away in his sleep without Kerry by his side to be there for him in his last moments. It was a strange need, almost something primal; that maybe if Kerry held V close, let him feel the warmth of his body, V will hold onto life, that if he’ll feel Kerry’s steady heartbeat and the slow rise and fall of his chest, it will convince V’s body on a cellular level that there’s still someone who cares for him, loves him, and wants to see him wake up in the morning. A silent plea of „Please, stay with me a while longer, please, don’t leave me just yet”.</p><p>He really wanted to slide his palm against V’s cheek and gently follow the rim of his eyebag with his thumb. On one hand, it would certainly wake V up from his slumber, but on the other, Kerry would do anything to see V’s gorgeous blue eyes, if only for a moment. The illness was destroying his body, but his eyes were just as bright and lucid and full of life as ever. Kerry found it endlessly amusing that V, Night City’s toughest and most notorious merc would have a pair of the most gentle doe eyes he ever saw on anybody. As cliche as it might be, he really wanted to include them in one of the songs on his new album. Thankfully, Kerry knew he had the talent to pull it off.</p><p>Kerry noticed that V’s scruff was growing out. He will probably ask him to help him shave soon, like he did before, avoiding looking him in the eyes, clearly ashamed of his state. V muttered something about his hands becoming too shaky, and about being worried that the razor might slip and hurt him. Kerry didn’t see a problem, not at all. He promised V he will help him with anything he might need, and he intended to stick to his guns. Despite that, he knew how difficult vulnerability was for V, who spent his entire life with his guard up, in the streets of Night City, where a wrong step or showing fear to a wrong person might lead to your grave. So V sat there, in their bathroom, in front of the mirror, eyes darting around the walls, desperate to look anywhere but at his reflection, as Kerry carefully shaved his beard. Once or twice, V would start babbling apologetically, saying that he’s sorry that Kerry has to do this and see him <em>useless</em> like this. Kerry just smiled, and gave his cheekbone a quick kiss, effectively silencing V’s racing mind, at least for a moment.    </p><p>Their bedroom was slowly but surely filling up with more and more warm rays of the morning sun, which were glinting off the various golden decor. Kerry though that he should probably get up soon and start to prepare for leaving. The people working in the studio were incredibly patient and kind, but after so many years in the biz, Kerry suspected that they felt like they need to be. They were just as important as he was in creating his music, maybe even moreso, and Kerry didn’t want to take advantage of their politeness.</p><p>The question now was what should he do with V. As much as he wanted to gently wake V up with a kiss (and pepper his hollow cheek with a dozen more, just so V would have absolutely no doubts about how loved he is), something was stopping him from actually lifting up his head and doing it. If he could, Kerry would just pull V closer and stay with him for the whole day, and it pained him immensely that he couldn’t. V would probably want to be up as early as possible, but he just looked so exhausted, because of… everything, really. His mortality, his sickness, his grief over Johnny… this was one of few times recently where Kerry actually saw him as somewhat calm and at peace. Kerry didn’t have the heart to rip this away from him for no reason.</p><p>He needed all the rest he could get.</p><p>With herculean effort, Kerry lifted himself up, careful not to wake V, and sat on the edge of their bed, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Every morning, he found himself incredibly grateful to V and his decision to invest in heated flooring. He reached to the bedside drawer on his side opened it, pulling out a tablet they usually used for checking the thermostat and turning the lights on and off. Kerry tapped the „notes” icon and bit down on the tip of the pen he pulled out to gather his thoughts. Inspiration flooded him, as he wrote „YOU LOOK LIKE SHIT. ENJOY SLEEPING IN TODAY. SEE YA IN THE EVENING.”, and finished it off with his signature, practiced through many years of signing autographs, CDs and contracts. He quickly glanced at V, to make sure he’s still asleep. V’s face twitched slightly, causing Kerry to smile softly and absentmindedly scribble a wonky heart at the bottom of the note.</p><p>Kerry placed to tablet on his pillow, hoping that V will get his intentions. He looked at V for the last time, to enjoy seeing him so unguarded and tranquil. As much as he didn’t feel like leaving, he really needed to drag his ass to the studio, if he wants V to listen to his album before he…</p><p>Kerry sighed heavily, stood up and went to the bathroom, briefly squeezing his eyes shut. V was still here. They still had time. It was no use to dwell on his condition, since it didn’t help either him or V. Kerry knew all that, and yet these kinds of thoughts still crept up on him with no warning. He needed to stay strong, first and foremost for V, but also for his own sanity.</p><p>The bathroom mirror activated when the sensors picked up Kerry’s movement. He leaned closer, squinting at the reflection. The bags under his eyes didn’t exactly scream „glamorous”, but he didn’t feel like doing anything about them. He’ll throw on a pair of shades just in case some paps would want to try and get a new cover for their screamsheet. The sound of running water filled the room as Kerry brushed his teeth. He thought that he should probably call their cleaning service, and ask them to be as quiet as possible when they come in an hour or two, to not wake V up, even by accident. All this commotion made him feel on edge, every move and every sound made him worried that his whole plan won’t work, and something will rouse V from his sleep prematurely.</p><p>He nervously leaned through the bathroom doorway, toothbrush still hanging from his lips, to look at their bed. V was still asleep, and seemed even more relaxed and comfortable than before; he sunk deeper into his pillow, and his left arm was draped over the empty space Kerry occupied beside him, the morning light reflecting off the intricate cyberware of his hands.</p><p>Kerry smiled lovingly, suddenly feeling much lighter, like everything is going to be all right. He knew this feeling won’t last long, but he decided to enjoy it and savour it while it did.</p><p>He made a mental note to buy V some real, organic chocolate as an apology.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Big thanks to @eurodyness on tumblr for chatting about headcanons with me! She really motivated me to sit down and finish this piece! You're the best! :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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